Green - Chinese Company Accused of Destroying African Wildlife Reserve

Environmentalists and villagers in The Gambia are accusing a Chinese company of poisoning the coastline of a wildlife reserve.

The activists say a Chinese fish meal producer called Golden Lead has been dumping waste and rotten fish into the waters of the Bolong Fenyo Community Wildlife Reserve along The Gambia's coast in the southwest.  The reserve is an important roosting and feeding area for terns, gulls and other species.  But discharge from the factory has turned the waters red and left huge amounts of rotting fish along the marshes and shore.

The problem begins with over-fishing.  China has the world's largest deep sea fishing fleet, and Chinese trawlers have long been accused of taking too much from the region.  West Africa loses US$2.3 Billion annually to illegal fishing, according to a recent study by Frontiers in Marine Science.

The trawlers bring their catch to factories such as Golden Lead in the village of Gunjur along the Bolong Fenyo, where it's processed into fish oil and fishmeal.  The factory has dealt with its waste by building a shaky pipe leading directly into ocean.  It's not clear what, if any, treatment is performed before dumping it into the water - but the result appears to be a devastating mess.

The Chinese Embassy in The Gambia hasn't commented on the situation.  The local activists say the company has agreed to remove the pipe, although it's not clear when or what sort of waste disposal system would replace it.

For decades, The Gambia recognized China's rival Taiwan but switched its diplomatic focus to Beijing in 2013.  Since the ouster of long-time dictator Yahya Jammeh late last year, the new government has been courting more Chinese investment to plug the holes in its infrastructure, casting doubt on the prospects of the country making demands of Golden lead to clean up its act.